The present invention relates generally to expandable luggage, and particularly to expandable luggage having a zipperless expansion gusset with an easily accessible adjustable locking expansion mechanism.
The needs of travelers for luggage space can vary considerably depending on the duration of a trip, types of clothing and other gear required, and the climate of the destination, to name a few. One way travelers accommodate these needs is by using expandable luggage that have heretofore been provided. Expandable luggage also offers the traveler a possible cost savings by avoiding the need to purchase more than one piece of luggage. Moreover, the capability of expanding a piece of luggage permits the traveler to change the carrying capacity throughout the course of a trip.
Expandable luggage of varying construction and designs are well known in the art.
Examples of existing expandable luggage include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,220,411; 6,059,078; and 6,021,874, wherein ""078 and ""874 are commonly assigned to the present assignee. However, these designs have some disadvantages. For example, each of the luggage pieces disclosed therein contain an expandable portion or gusset requiring a zipper that must be manipulated into an open or closed position in order to expand or retract the expandable portion respectively. Zippers can become stuck and/or damaged due to wear and tear a typical piece of luggage encounters, or simply due to use over an extended period of time.
Another disadvantage pertains to the location of the various locking mechanisms for maintaining the luggage an expanded state. For example, in ""411, the locking mechanism is located near the lower portion of the bridge plate at the bottom of the luggage, making the locking mechanism difficult to reach and operate when the luggage is packed and the user needs to increase the volume of the luggage to accommodate the storage of additional items. Similarly, the location of the hook and loop fastening mechanism in ""078 and ""874 used in adjusting the volume of the luggage disclosed therein is located near the bottom of the luggage, making the fastening mechanism difficult to reach and operate when the luggage is packed and the user needs to increase the volume of the luggage to accommodate the storage of additional items. There is therefore a need for an improved expandable luggage having zipperless expandable portion which overcomes these and other disadvantages associated with existing expandable luggage. As used herein xe2x80x9cluggagexe2x80x9d is intended to include all manner of containers, for example, but without limitation, briefcases.
In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide an expandable item of luggage, suitcase, bag or the like having an intermediately located zipperless expandable portion or gusset with a multipositional locking expansion mechanism. The interior storage volume of the item of luggage is easily adjusted, and directly corresponds to the retracted, various intermediate, and completely expanded states of the zipperless gusset.
The item of luggage preferably comprises a main body portion, an expandable body portion and an access panel. The main body has first (lower) and second (upper) support frame elements, inner and outer surfaces, a bottom wall, and a pair of opposing sidewalls. The expandable body portion is adjustably coupled to the main body by a multipositional locking expansion mechanism, and includes a support frame, a pair of opposing sidewalls and a zipperless expandable gusset. The zipperless expandable gusset is intermediately located between, and adjustably coupled to, the upper support frame element and the expandable body support frame.
The locking expansion mechanism preferably includes a locking element, a lock release element, a first expansion plate fastened to the upper and lower support frames of the main body, and a sliding second expansion plate fastened to the support frame of the expandable body portion. The first expansion plate includes a locking lug, preferably a pair of lugs, slidably coupled to a lug receiving slot, preferably a pair of slots, located on the second expansion plate. The locking expansion plates are slidably engageable and lockable to permit expansion and retraction of the zipperless gusset by adjustments in the height of the expandable body. The locking element is capable of engaging the locking lug in order to control the sliding and locking of the second expansion plate with respect to the first expansion plate. The lock release element for unlocking the expansion plates is easily operated and conveniently located near or on the sliding plate handle situated by the top region of the expanding body to provide for easy accessibility, thereby permitting the user to adjust the interior storage volume of the item of luggage without having to unpack in order to gain access to the unlocking mechanism, as is commonly the problem with expandable cases in the prior art. In a preferred embodiment, the item of luggage comprises a pair of locking expansion mechanisms located on opposing sidewalls.
The access panel is preferably attached to the expandable body portion by a zipper and hinged element. Additionally, one or more handles, straps or the like are preferably mounted on the outside of the luggage body for easy lifting and carrying, and wheels or the like are preferably mounted on the luggage for easy transport.
Another object of the invention is to provide an item of luggage further including a web of resilient plastic material or the like attached to the interior side of gusset between the gusset and the inner adjacent side walls of the main body and the expandable body. The web preferably extends between the respective opposing peripheral upper and extendable frame elements such that when the luggage is collapsed the gusset is drawn towards the interior region of the luggage, thereby allowing the opposing frame elements to come into contact without the user having to manually retract the gusset to the desired interior position. The web of resilient plastic material is preferably attached to the interior side of the gusset by an appropriate fastening means including, but not limited to an adhesive or the like.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the invention as described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.